Hearts broken: Lexington girls fall to Wando in last seconds of Lower State finals
It was a speech Molly Goodrich hoped she wouldn’t have to make Saturday.
The Lexington girls basketball coach emerged from the team’s locker room having spent the last 25 minutes consoling her team following the 53-52 loss to Wando in the Class 5A Division I Lower State championship at the Florence Center.
Wando will face defending champion Blythewood in the title game at 6 p.m. Friday at the Colonial Life Arena.
“The girls are bummed because we had two opportunities on layups to win the game,” Goodrich said. “I just told them that one missed shot doesn’t define you. We had a good game plan and chances to win. I thought they shot well in the second half.
“We put ourselves in situations to win the game. But at the end of the night, they are heartbroken. This isn’t easy. I told them that winning isn’t easy and this will teach us something in life.”
The Wildcats seemed to have the game in hand, leading 45-35 in the fourth quarter. But turnovers, missed free throws and a pair of missed layups down the stretch denied Lexington its first state championship appearance since 1979.
The Wildcats led 51-45 with less than two minutes left but Ava Rush’s 3-pointer and another Warrior basket cut the lead to 51-50 with 39.1 seconds left.
Lexington led 52-51 but missed a pair of free throws, giving the ball back to the Warriors.
Then, McKenna Reynolds’ rebound off a Rush missed 3-pointer put Wando ahead 53-52.
Lexington turned it over on its next possession, but then Cassidy Harry stole the inbounds pass and threw it to Jaleya Lytes, who missed a layup. The ball went out of bounds on the rebound and the referees put 0.5 seconds on the clock.
Lexington inbounded the ball underneath its own basket and Sydni Anderson tipped the pass to Kyrin Livingston, who missed the shot on the left side of the basket as time expired.
Livingston was consoled by her teammates and then family in the stands as she was walking off the court.
“This was my favorite team to coach. No drama,” Goodrich said. “And I told them even though I couldn’t get them this win tonight, I told them they can call me 10 years down the road and I will be there for them.
“I am going to remember this team for how hard we work and how much of a family we really were. That is why games like this are hard, because the season is ending and you aren’t done with them yet.”
Braidi Goodrich led Lexington with 18 points and Anderson added 12. Goodrich hit a half-court 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 28-15 halftime lead.
But Goodrich fouled out with less than a minute left.
Emry Crawford and Malaya Mazyck led Wando with 11 points. Reynolds and Rush each had 10.
It will be Wando’s first championship appearance since 1980.
